The Unpledged Elector is an option used for Presidential elections in the United States of America. The elector isn't pledged to a specific candidate and may vote for any person he or she wishes, although Unpledged Electors usually choose one person to cast their votes for. This was most frequently used by Southern states to protest the stance on Civil Rights that the Democratic Party adopted in their platform. Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ...

The first modern slates of unpledged electors were fielded in the 1944 election as a protest against Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Texas Regulars and an unpledged slate in South Carolina were both on the ballot but neither group met much success. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... The Texas Regulars was a group based in Texas which was formed in 1944 to deny Franklin Roosevelt a majority of the Electoral College in the 1944 presidential election. ... State nickname: Palmetto State Other U.S. States Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Governor Mark Sanford Official languages English Area 82,965 km² (40th)  - Land 78,051 km²  - Water 4,915 km² (6%) Population (2000)  - Population {{{2000Pop}}} (26th)  - Density 51. ...

In 1948, the disgruntled Southern Democrats cast their ballots for States' Rights Democratic Party candidate Strom Thurmond in a protest against the Civil Rights program of Harry S. Truman. A core of these voters cast their ballots for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 instead of the more liberal Adlai Stevenson. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... In its modern connotation (especially 1956-1980), the term “Dixiecrat” is used in reference to Southern Democrats who traditionally vote (or voted) in support of the Democratic Party, but because of social issues, may vote in opposition to the Democrat Party with regard to certain elections and/or candidates. ... Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to 1964 as a Democrat and from 1964 to 2003 as a Republican. ... For the victim of Mt. ... Order: 34th President Vice President: Richard Nixon Term of office: January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 Preceded by: Harry S. Truman Succeeded by: John F. Kennedy Date of birth: October 14, 1890 Place of birth: Denison, Texas Date of death: March 28, 1969 Place of death: Washington, D.C. First... Introduction After several years of stalemate in the Korean War and a choppy economy, the Truman administration was relatively unpopular. ... Portrait of Adlai Stevenson Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and statesman, noted for his skill in debate and oratory. ...

In 1956, unpledged slates were on the ballot in Alabama (20,150 votes, 4.1% of the vote), Louisiana (44,520 votes, 7.2% of the vote and they won four parishes), Mississippi (42,266 votes, 17.3% of the vote and they won seven counties) and South Carolina (88,509 votes, 29.5% of the vote and 21 counties). Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Alabama is a state located in the southern United States. ... State nickname: Pelican State Other U.S. States Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans Governor Kathleen Blanco Official languages None; English and French de facto Area 134,382 km² (31st)  - Land 112,927 km²  - Water 21,455 km² (16%) Population (2000)  - Population 4,468,976 (22nd)  - Density 39. ... List of Louisiana parishes The state of Louisiana is divided into parishes in the same way that the other states of the United States are divided into counties. ... State nickname: Magnolia State Other U.S. States Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Governor Haley Barbour Official languages English Area 125,546 km² (32nd)  - Land 121,606 km²  - Water 3,940 km² (3%) Population (2000)  - Population 2,697,243 (31st)  - Density 23. ... United States of America, showing states, divided into counties. ...

The only times that the Unpledged elector slate has won a state were in Mississippi in 1960 (116,248 votes, 39% of the vote). They then voted for Harry F. Byrd for President and Strom Thurmond for Vice President. Alabama also had unpledged electors in 1960, but they had a mixed slate where six electors were unpledged and five were pledged to Democratic party candidate John F. Kennedy. Louisiana's slate of unpledged electors won 169,572 votes (21% of the vote). Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Harry Flood Byrd, Sr. ... Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to 1964 as a Democrat and from 1964 to 2003 as a Republican. ... Order: 35th President Vice President: Lyndon B. Johnson Term of office: January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 Preceded by: Dwight D. Eisenhower Succeeded by: Lyndon B. Johnson Date of birth: May 29, 1917 Place of birth: Brookline, Massachusetts Date of death: November 22, 1963 Place of death: Dallas, Texas First...

With the rise of the Republican party in the South, the popularity of fielding Unpledged electors decreased. The last slate of Unpledged electors was filed in Alabama in the 1964 election. The slate was supported by Alabama Governor George C. Wallace instead of Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson. The electors won 30.6% of the vote against Republican Barry Goldwater. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... George Corley Wallace (August 25, 1919–September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was elected Governor of Alabama (as a Democrat) four times (1962, 1970, 1974 and 1982) and ran for U.S. President (in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976). ... Order: 36th President Vice President: Hubert H. Humphrey Term of office: November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969 Preceded by: John F. Kennedy Succeeded by: Richard M. Nixon Date of birth: August 27, 1908 Place of birth: Gillespie County, Texas Date of death: January 22, 1973 Place of death: Johnson City... Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a United States politician and a founding figure in the modern conservative movement in the USA. Goldwater personified the shift in balance in American culture from the Northeast to the West. ...